It was a deadly weekend for pedestrians in Philadelphia as Police are searching for five separate drivers who all hit pedestrians and fled the scene from Friday night through Sunday, November 9-11, 2018.
Friday
Witnesses say that a woman driving a grey Toyota Camry turned onto Torresdale Ave and struck a man walking in the crosswalk and never stopped. Tragically, the man was then hit by another driver, a male Hispanic driving a Mitsubishi Gallant, who ran him over while he was on the ground and also fled the scene.
Saturday
A 59-year-old man was critically injured while crossing Market St. at 21st, and witnesses say that a white pick-up struck the man and was last seen fleeing the scene traveling east on Market St.
Sunday
At 12:10 am, first responders found a man unresponsive at the 3500 block of N. Randolph St. in North Philadelphia. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and police say that his injuries were consistent with being struck by a vehicle.
Just after 1 am, in another hit-and-run, a 17-year-old youth boy did after being struck while crossing Roosevelt Blvd at the 7600 block in Rhawnhurst. The youth suffered massive head trauma after being struck by a 2007 or 2008 Chevy Impala or Malibu, and the driver fled the scene. Witnesses say that the car has damage to the front driver side headlight and windshield.
Philadelphia Police are asking anyone with any information on any of the vehicles, drivers or incidences to please call 911 or directly at 215 685-3130.
Hit and Run Accidents Pose Special Difficulties
When a driver hits another vehicle or pedestrian and flees, this creates problems in an already difficult situation. First, the injuries can be made more severe as help is often delayed because the driver is not there to call the first responders. In many accidents, the at-fault driver is unharmed and able to call the police, but typically, a driver who has fled does not call. This delays critical aid to the victim.
According to a report from The Foundation for Traffic Safety, hit-and-run victims are more likely to be pedestrians or cyclists, and they also have a higher risk of being a victim of a fatality. This is primarily because in may vehicle collisions, both drivers are injured or the vehicles are more likely to be disabled.
Assigning Fault to a Hit-and-Run Collision/Making a Claim
Typically the driver who fled is the one who’s at fault, so what’s the problem? By fleeing the scene, the driver has made it difficult to get all the information necessary to determine what happened, and insurance companies can use this to try and cloud the issue of fault.
Then even if blame is determined, then how do you make a claim against an insurance policy when you don’t know who the driver was? This creates a problem for the victims to who want to get compensation for injuries sustained in the collision. The answer is to get an attorney who knows hit-an-run laws and how insurance policies work.
Do I need an Attorney?
If you are a victim of a hit and run, you need help in working through all of these complicated issues to determine how to get compensated. You need an attorney that understands hit-and-run law and has experience dealing with insurance companies, whether yours’ or the other driver’s. Don’t wait until they start treating you poorly before you contact an attorney as some mistakes can’t be undone. The sooner you have someone working for you, the better off you are.